As per police, the man identified as Uttar Meher (42) after committing the crime attempted suicide. However, he was admitted to hospital under critical condition.
Abject poverty drove him to resort to this drastic step, Uttar said in his confessional statement.
Uttar, a resident of Sriharinagar in Bargarh, is now struggling for his life at hospital in Ghatagaon..
The incident took place on Thursday near a river bridge at Katarabeda in Keonjhar. Uttar along with his family got down from bus while returning from Ghatagaon Tarini temple on the occasion of Maha Visubha Sankranti. Meher poisoned his wife and six children, including his four daughters. Later, he attempted suicide by consuming poison. All the children were aged between three and 14 years.
Palpable marks on the neck of victims indicated that Meher allegedly strangulated his wife and six children to death after they were poisoned, police said.
Meanwhile, the family members of Meher said that Meher’s economic condition was not too bad to support his family.